Published by Tarcher September 23, 2025
An exploration of all the ways in which birds are social creatures-from breeding to nesting to babysitting
In The Social Lives of Birds, evolutionary biologist and author of Slow Birding Joan Strassmann examines what it means for birds of a feather to flock together. Some birds sleep together. Some join the foraging groups of other species. Some are only social during breeding season, forming nesting colonies in trees, cliffs, and sandbanks. Some are altruistic, helping to rear young that are not their own. Some males perform mating dances together.
Strassmann explains how flocks provide safety in numbers, roosts offer warmth and shelter, and colonies allow for protected breeding. But group behavior is not without its costs-including increased competition, tick infestations, and more. Strassmann exposes the conflicts birds face and the many ways in which they resolve these conflicts.
With stories of birds from around the world-from broad-winged hawks that migrate south together in the fall, tree swallows that roost together in the thousands, and guira cuckoos that nest in communes-The Social Lives of Birds explores the different kinds of bird groups and what to look for when watching them. Above all, it reveals this fact: solitary life, it seems, is not for the birds.
Reviews
"For those of us drawn to watch birds, few aspects are more awe-inspiring and mind-blowing than their propensity to live with others of their clan. Strassmann digs deep into the fascinating social world of birds, bringing a scientist's critical eye and a novelist's sharp pen to interpret and understand its dizzying diversity."-John M. Marzluff, coauthor of Gifts of the Crow
"Joan Strassmann knows the social life of birds almost as well as birds do. A delightful and informative flight into sociality in our avian friends."-Lee Dugatkin, author of How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)
"The main features of birds most of us are interested in concern their feathers, flight, nesting, feeding, foraging, mating, predator evasion, migration, and group vs. solitary behavior. If I were to read any book on what birds are all about, I could not recommend one more than this one. I know of no other book that so thoroughly covers the hugely extensive scientific literature from the experts who spend their lives and fortunes on their work. This book is a must-read for all birders and a clear-eyed pleasure for anyone interested in Nature."-Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven
About the author
Joan Strassmann is an award-winning teacher of animal behavior, first at Rice University in Houston and then at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is Charles Rebstock professor of biology. She has written more than 200 scientific articles on behavior, ecology, and evolution of social organisms. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has held a Guggenheim Fellowship.
